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Monday, 10 August 2015

Today, it is a norm to go for a medical checkup every year. Corporate executives talk about this boldly and their companies are happily paying this bill. Hospitals, disease (health) insurance companies and doctors have promoted this concept to increase their revenue streams. Consumers have fallen for this trap as a means for preventive care.The American Medical Association suggests that medical checkups or periodic health examinations to be performed every five years (for adults over 18) until age 50 and every three years thereafter. The requirements may be more frequent for those people taking prescription medications. However, it has to be done only on doctor’s recommendation.Today, India Inc. performs its duty on employee wellbeing by incorporating two important programs. One of course is disease (health) insurance, and second is disease (health) screening.

Efforts on creating healthy employees and managing their wellbeing score are left on employees’ own initiatives. As management has no focus here, the budget allocation for this important activity is discretionary.

India’s gigantic workforce of 672 million people is gradually reaching the median age of thirty-five plus by 2020. As per WHO, workforce productivity in India is a big question mark. Poor health and frequent illness of this large population is pushing it towards a lethal modern day scourge of non-communicable diseases.

Hence, if India Inc. wants to enjoy the demographic dividends and its employees desire to benefit from economic boom, it is time to act on employee wellbeing program as an urgent issue.

Adequate physical activity has to become the core of people learning & development programs. Sedentary lifestyle is the basis for non-communicable diseases like obesity, cancer, hypertension, respiratory disorders & diabetes. Wellbeing programs should measure, analyze and improvise on adequate physical activity of employees. It should be linked to revenue targets as it has a direct impact on productivity and efficiency.